by Imogen Wells
“Seems you have everything you need, Ms Fisher,” Rachel says, then slips out the door.
Jamie begins unloading the bag and passes me what I’m guessing is a cup of coffee and a bacon roll from the smells wafting into the room.
She drops down into the seat Rick vacated, unwrapping her own roll and taking a bite.
“So, how you feeling?” she asks between mouthfuls. I let out a snort. “Well enough that being asked again is annoying I see.”
“Something like that. Why are you here exactly?” I ask, getting to whatever point her being here is trying to make.
“No messing around. I like it. Okay, then. First off, Rick asked me to bring you breakfast, which, by the way, was a great and plausible excuse for me to come in here and get to know you.”
“I’m not sure why you would think we need to get to know each other, but we don’t. So, thanks for the breakfast and it was nice seeing you again, but you can go now.”
She balls her wrapper up and chucks it back into the bag. “See, that’s where you’re wrong. Rick isn’t just my boss, he’s my friend, and I could even see us being friends, but if Rick gets hurt, then you and I are going to have a problem.”
Despite her obvious threat, I kind of admire her. It’s the sort of thing I would do.
“Thanks for the warning, Jamie, but it’s really not necessary. There’s nothing going on between me and Rick.”
“Sure, and a bear doesn’t shit in the woods.”
Any retort I had is cut off as an orderly pushes through the door with a wheelchair, and I catch a glimpse of Rick in the corridor talking to Seb. I see him look at Jamie before our eyes meet across the space. His lips are in a tight smile, but there’s a fire blazing behind his eyes as we watch each other.
Jamie gets to her feet, coming closer to me as the door swings shut again and breaking my stare off with Rick.
“That look right there. That’s not nothing, Jess. It’s something.” She helps me into the wheelchair before leaning down and whispering in my ear, “You better figure out what that something means to you and quick.” She passes me over to the orderly, holding the door open for us.
The corridor is empty now, and I twist to see Jamie heading off in the opposite direction to us.
My x-ray is clear, and the doctor is happy to discharge me. I may have told a little white lie about having a friend stay with me for a few days, but I wasn’t risking him not letting me out.
I found my handbag and phone in the little cupboard beside my bed and arranged another hire car.
I currently don’t have any clothes seeing as the ones I was wearing were cut off me when I arrived. I hope Rox wasn’t too fond of them.
Guess I’m about to find out as Roxy answer my call. “Rox, so I kind of had an accident and need you to collect me from the hospital.”
“Hospital? What the fuck, JJ. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine, but I’ll be even better when you come and get me. Pretty please,” I say in my best pleading voice.
“I’m on my way. Where are you?”
Before I can reply the phone is snatched from my hand. “Hey, wh—” my words die in my mouth as I turn, grimacing at the too fast movement on my sore and bruised body, to see Rick standing there, phone held to his ear.
“Jess won’t be needing a lift. She’ll call you in a few days.” He ends the call and turns it off before shoving it in his pocket.
I stand before him, hands on hips and speechless at the cheek of this man.
He drops a bag on the bed, pointing to it, he says, “Clothes for you. Get dressed.”
“Give me my phone and get the fuck out of my room before I call security,” I order, my tone icily calm.
“You and I are going on a little trip for a few days.”
“The fuck I am!” I grab the bag of clothes from the bed and step forward, ramming them into his chest. “I’m not going anywhere with you,” I sneer.
He grabs my wrists, holding them tight to his chest, and I have to step closer so as not to lose my balance. His spicy scent seems to curl around me, seeping into my skin as I fight my body for control. “You have questions only I have the answers to, so you will come with me.”
Bastard! I don’t know whether to punch him or applaud him for using the one thing I wouldn’t be able to say no to.
“Nice try, but I don’t think so,” I tell him, calling his bluff and looking him right in the eye. “I don’t need to go anywhere with you when you can tell me right here and now.”
“This is not the time or place for what I need to say and do,” he says, bringing his face closer to mine.
“You’re kidding, right?” I let out a laugh as a combination of nervousness and arousal winds its way through my body. “Don’t tell me this is a ‘if I tell you, I’ll have to kill you’ kind of thing.” The words trail off as I see the serious look on his face. When he leans in even closer, his lips brushing my ear, a shiver runs the length of my whole body, and I know he feels it because his lips curve into a knowing smile.
“No, Jess, this is a ‘we need privacy so I can fuck you’ kind of thing,” he whispers, releasing me and pushing my hands, along with the bag, back to my own chest. “Dressed. Now.”
My hands grip the plastic bag so tight that my nails almost tear right through it. For several long seconds, I can barely breath as my mind struggles to comprehend what Rick just said. However, my body has no trouble at all with his words as my nipples pebble beneath the thin fabric of the hospital gown I’m wearing, and my thighs involuntarily tighten and rub together. Unable to remain in the same room as him without either murdering him or jumping his bones, I storm into the bathroom, slamming the door shut behind me.
Leaning back against the door, I take a couple of deep breaths. When I finally have my anger under control and my body has stopped humming with arousal now that I’m no longer surrounded by the sight and smell of Rick, I rip off my gown and pull the clothes Rick gave me from the bag.
I dress quickly in the, surprisingly well fitting, jeans and t-shirt and step back into my room. Rick is holding some papers in one hand and Roxy’s pumps in the other.
“Here. Put these on and let’s go,” he orders, passing the pumps to me, which I snatch from him childishly.
“Is this how it’s going to be?” I say, leaning against the wall as I shove a foot in one of the pumps. Silence. “You giving me one word answers or short, abrupt orders isn’t going to work for me.” I crouch down to tie the laces.
When I stand back up, Rick is watching me with that intense and assessing gaze of his, and our eyes meet for a second before he looks away, stepping to the door.
“I have your papers. Let’s go.”
“Yeah, that right there, ‘I have your papers. Let’s go’” I parrot back to him in a deep-toned accent that doesn’t sound too dissimilar to Arnold Schwarzenegger in the film Terminator. “That’s bullshit,” I state as I exit the room, my voice echoing down the empty corridor.
Twenty-Six
Jess
We drive through town in silence. It’s not uncomfortable per se, more tension filled. Like the fizz in a bottle of champagne ready to pop as you loosen the cork.
When we turn into Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, I turn to Rick. “What are we doing here?”
He spins the wheel quickly, reversing into a parking space and cutting the engine.
“There’s someone I need to see before we leave.” Rick steps from the car before I can ask anymore.
Hurrying to get out and catch him up, I hear the beep of the car locks as I reach him.
Inside, we travel to the ICU, and I begin to get a bad feeling. As we step out from the elevator, I grab his arm, stopping him.
“Rick, what’s goin—”
“Daddy, Daddy,” Max shouts as he barrels down the hall, jumping into Rick’s arms. I hear a grunt from Rick, and when I look, I see a half grimace half smile on his face. No doubt it’s from the blast, and he’s been hiding it well.
“Hey, bud. Sorry it took so long. You okay?”
“I’m fine, Dad,” he says like it’s a daft question. Then he gets serious, an uncertain look on his face. “Grandma is hurt, Dad. Is she going to die like Mum?”
I hear a small gasp from the right and look to see Jamie there, a hand covering her mouth. I almost let out a gasp of my own. I had no idea that Rick’s mum was ill. I try not to think about why Rick was with me instead of his family. Feeling eyes on me, I turn to Jamie, and her eyes widen and brows raise in an ‘I told you so’ way. Quickly looking away from her judgement and back down to Rick and Max, I see his throat bob as he swallows.
“Hey, no, Max, Grandma is going to be fine,” Rick says, gripping Max’s shoulders and looking right at him. “She just needs a little time, but she’s going to be just fine, right, Gramps?” Rick asks his dad as he steps up beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. The question is meant to reassure Max, but I get the feeling Rick is looking for assurance too.
I suddenly feel like I’m imposing but still I remain standing here.
“That’s right.” A look passes between the two men before Rick’s dad takes Max’s hand. “How about you and I see if we can find something for Grandma at the gift shop while your dad sits with her.”
“Okay, Gramps. Do you think Grandma would like some grapes? That’s what you give to people when they’re in hospital, isn’t it?” he asks as they walk off down the corridor.
Rick stands, rubbing his hands down his face, and it’s only now I notice how tired he looks.
“I’ll be back shortly, then we’ll talk,” he says to them all, including Ryder who has joined us along with a beautiful woman holding a baby standing at his side.
“She’s in the last room on the right, and we’ll be here when you get back, Sully,” Ryder says, and I can’t help flinching at hearing Rick being called Sully.
Rick starts to walk away but pauses, turning back to me as though he has something to say before changing his mind and carrying on down the corridor.
Ryder introduces me to Cam and their baby, Jamison, before we all move to take a seat in the small waiting area just outside the ICU, only I can’t sit. Instead, I pace by the window overlooking the car park and attempt to wrestle with my conflicting emotions. My headache, that was slowly easing, returns along with a tightness in my chest that no amount of slow, deep breaths seems to lessen.
“Want to explain what that was?” Jamie asks, looking at me expectantly.
“Don’t know what you’re talking about.” I feign ignorance, despite having a good feeling what she’s talking about.
“I call bullshit on that, Jessica.”
“Jamie,” Seb warns, but she ignores him, getting to her feet.
“No, Seb. I want to know what her problem is. Rick almost gets blown up for this woman and then spends the whole day and night sat at her bedside when he should have been here with his family, yet she screws her face up like someone wafted shit in her face when Ryder called him Sully. So, come on, Jess, don’t keep us all waiting.”
“Jamie, this is not the place and none of our business. Stay out of it,” Seb reasons, stepping in front of her. “Whatever is going on, Rick will tell us when he’s ready,” he whispers, taking her hand in his.
My eyes flick to Cam and Ryder, who are both watching and ready to step in. But I’m not here to cause trouble, even though it seems we’re past that.
“Look, I heard you loud and clear this morning, Jamie. I get you’re just looking out for your friend, but I’m not here to cause any trouble. Rick and I have…some business to discuss, and once that’s done, I’ll be gone.” I hate the vulnerability in my voice. I feel like a kite flying high with no direction and blown every which way with no chance of being grounded.
“I need some air,” I announce, exiting the room on fast feet.
I find a courtyard outside and take a seat on an empty bench. I watch as a woman with two kids, a baby in a pushchair and a toddler, who is currently running round and round his mum, talks on her phone becoming more and more distressed. I’m not sure if it’s at the toddler or the conversation.
A shadow falls over the table, and I look up, squinting to block the sun’s glare, to find Cam.
“Do you mind if I join you?” she asks, pointing to the bench opposite.
“Sure, but if you’ve come to give me another warning, you’re wasting your time.”
“That’s not why I’m here, Jessica.” She pushes a takeaway cup towards me. “I wasn’t sure what you like, so I’m sorry if you’re not a coffee lover.”
“It’s Jess, and thanks, coffee is good. Don’t suppose you have a bottle of whiskey in that bag of yours?” I say with a crooked smile.
“Not on this occasion, I’m afraid.” She sips at her own drink, and we both turn as a cry breaks the silence. The little boy running literal rings around his mother, is on his knees having obviously fallen over. “I’d forgotten how much work they are at that age,” Cam says with a laugh.
“Yeah, you need eyes in the back of your head when they start walking. Jamison isn’t your first then?” I ask, looking at Cam. The sparkle in her eyes dims a little at my question, and I quickly back track. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“It’s okay, you didn’t. It’s a long story, but I had a daughter before I had Jamison. Maybe I’ll get the chance to share it with you one day.”
“I’m not sure Jamie would agree.” The words slip free before I have a chance to stop them. “Sorry, my filter doesn’t always work.”
Cam laughs. “You know, you two aren’t so different.” I raise my brows at her disbelievingly. “Her bark is much worse than her bite.”
“Not sure I believe that either,” I snort. “I can’t fault her loyalty though. I’m just not sure why she thinks I’m a threat.”
“Hmm. I don’t think it’s that. Jamie doesn’t like being left in the dark about stuff, who does? And I guess she thinks you’re hiding things. I’m not looking for you to tell me anything, I’m just telling you so you know where she’s coming from.”
“I know exactly how she feels. I’ve been in the dark for five years. The difference is that this time I’m not walking away until I have the answers I need,” I huff.
“Cam,” Rick’s voice carries across the now empty courtyard. “Ryder’s waiting at the entrance for you with Max and Jamison.”
“Be right there,” she calls back to him before turning to me. “I understand the need for answers more than most, and how it drives you, but just be careful how your actions affect those around you, Jess. There is something between you and Rick, no matter how much you both try to hide it, but he needs answers too.” She gets up from the bench. “Go careful, Jess, he’s not as infallible as you might think and carries some very deep emotional scars.” She comes round to me, leaning down to give me a hug, which takes me by surprise, and whispers in my ear, “He looks mad as hell. Have fun with that,” she says, chuckling as she walks away.
I watch as they exchange a few words before she gives him a hug too, then leaves.
Twenty-Seven
Rick
“Are you sure about this, Rick?” Ryder asks, as Jamison fusses in his arms.
I huff out a breath, squeezing the bridge of my nose. “No, Ryder, I’m not sure about anything, but what else am I meant to do? Jess deserves answers, even though being around her is seriously bad for my health and leaves me in a very confused state of mind. Swinging between turned the fuck on to wanting to throttle her for making me feel that way.” A visual of me with my hands round Jess’ throat slams into my head, and as the image swirls in my head, I hear her crying out my name. But it’s not a cry of pain or fear, but one of pleasure.
“And how did that whole ‘throttle her’ thing work out for you, Rick,” Seb says with a knowing smirk.
I throw Seb a scathing glare while Ryder just laughs.
“What does she know so far?” Ryder asks, bringing us back to the matter
at hand and not focusing on what my dick wants.
“I don’t know. That’s why I think this enforced trip will be good for us all. She obviously wants to know what happened to her brother, and I’m inclined to think that if she’s been digging around looking for answers, then whatever is happening with her, at least, is connected to the tampering of her brakes and the bomb.”
“Have you heard any more from Scott about this Jake guy? How the fuck does he fit into all this?”
“He’s doing well but still sedated for now. Scott is there as a precaution and to let me know when he’s awake. Ryder, Dean is going to meet up with you when you get back to Manchester. Once Mum is out of hospital, and depending on how things pan out, Scott will bring them up to you. I don’t want any of you anywhere near this.”
“That’s not how this works, man. I get you want your son and parents safe and out of harm’s way, but don’t shut us out. We’re a team.”
“But this is my problem, Seb.”
“No, it’s not. It’s our problem. Us. And we deal with it together as a team, as a unit, like we always have. Jamie and I are coming with you.” I shake my head, but he carries on. “Yes, no arguments. If this was one of us, what would you say if we wanted to go off half-cocked on our own to face whatever the hell this is?”
I hang my head, not needing to answer because we all know I’d say exactly the same as he did.
Jamison lets out a wail, and Ryder shifts him over his shoulder, rubbing his back to settle him.
“I agree with Seb, Rick. This is our fight too. Although, having Jamie and Jess in the same house should be fun.” He raises his brows at Seb, as if to say, ‘are you sure that’s a good idea?’.
“What’s going on?” I ask, as I’ve clearly missed something.
“Nothing a little one on one time between them won’t sort out. Come on, you know this makes sense.”
“You should listen to your men, son.”
I shake my head knowing there’s no chance I can convince them to let me do this alone with my dad backing them. Robert Sullivan is not the type of man you can say no to or argue with unless you’re bringing your A-game.
